MBTA Green Line extension project begins

The start of phase one of construction to extend the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Green Line into the cities of Medford and Somerville has begun.

Phase one of the Green Line Extension is a $12.9-million effort to reconstruct two railroad bridges in Medford and Somerville to accommodate new Green Line tracks. In addition, under the contract, a building in the city of Cambridge will be demolished to clear the path from extending the tracks from Lechmere Station.

On June 11, 2012, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and MBTA received notification from the Federal Transit Administration that its application to enter the preliminary engineering phase of the project for the New Starts Program was approved. This approval puts the Green Line Extension project in a position where it can compete for funding to finance approximately half the project's total cost.

"This project is a long time coming and we're grateful to all of the advocates who have kept this project in the forefront of our minds," said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard Davey. "We're excited that work along this corridor is taking a major step forward and we look forward to continue making progress."

The contractor for the project is Barletta Heavy Division. The project entails reconstructing the Harvard Street Bridge in Medford and the Medford Street Bridge in Somerville. The Harvard Street Bridge reconstruction will begin this month; the Medford Street Bridge reconstruction will begin in the spring of 2013. Demolition of the building located at 21 Water Street in Cambridge will occur later in 2013. The overall project is expected to cost $1.12 billion.